American Express Global Business Travel continues to benefit from the ongoing rebound of business trips. In particular the reopening of countries in Asia Pacific, barring China of course, bodes well for the world’s biggest travel agency.
25.08.2023 - 13:47 / skift.com / Matthew Parsons / With New
Marriott brand Ritz-Carlton and Patina Hotels & Resorts claim they are together pioneering a new employee training program with the EHL Hospitality Business School in the Maldives.
The historic Swiss education specialist is making its debut in the Indian Ocean island paradise, working alongside Singapore-based property developer Pontiac Land Group, which has established a new three-year program to help the two hotels train, as well as retain, employees.
EHL’s apprenticeship traditionally lasts 18 months, but this bespoke program has a longer duration in a bid to keep students for longer.
The Fari Islands archipelago is 40 minutes north of capital Male by speedboat, and includes The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, and Patina Maldives. The archipelago also features Fari Marina, built around Fari Beach Club, which has shops and restaurants.
Nearby island Fari Campus, however, will act as a training ground for the resorts. It has living quarters, recreational facilities and amenities including a full-sized soccer pitch.
“There’s nothing like this in the Maldives,” said Sidhant Bedi, consultant at EHL Advisory Services. “It will benefit the new employees as well as the existing employees who don’t have any formal certification. It helps Patina and Ritz-Carlton retain people, because attrition is a big concern over there. We worked out a unique concept.”
The first batch graduated on April 12, after completing the initial Foundation level. Bedi added that research showed student numbers weren’t that high at surrounding universities. Part of the challenge was access, with complex commutes involved from other islands.
“A solution like this really works,” he said.
At the same time, Pontiac Land Group has converted $180 million in bank loans for the Fari projects into green loans, upon achieving EDGE Advanced Certifications, an international green building standard developed by the International Finance Corporation.
This conversion is a form of green financing, where sustainability targets must be met. Skift highlighted this financial mechanism as a megatrend in 2022, and it’s proved popular with other companies like hotelier CitizenM and China’s Trip.com recently.
It’s Pontiac’s first so-called green loan, and with the certification claims Fari Islands will be recognized as being “zero carbon ready.”
Initiatives include using solar panels on villa roofs, replacing traditional thatched structures; offsite manufacturing technology, known as mass engineered timber, that reduce carbon emissions by 6,000 tonnes after production and transportation; and biophilic designs that support cross ventilation and take into consideration natural wave movements.
Instead of importing trees from other countries, builders transplanted them
American Express Global Business Travel continues to benefit from the ongoing rebound of business trips. In particular the reopening of countries in Asia Pacific, barring China of course, bodes well for the world’s biggest travel agency.
Agency consortium GlobalStar Travel Management is expanding in Europe, after boosting its presence across North America and Asia.
China’s Trip.com has struck two new partnerships, covering the UK and Asia Pacific, to give customers the opportunity to delay or spread out payments for their purchases.
American Express Global Business Travel has partnered with Emirates Group-owned dnata to offer its global clients more local expertise in the Middle East region.
Despite recession risks and inflation impacts, the travel industry has in fact plenty of significant upsides.
Blink and you may miss the full tourism recovery of Dubai, as it focuses on returning to pre-pandemic levels of business.
Travel platform Agoda has been pushing ahead with a series of new fintech partnerships, with its eye on Asia’s corporate travel recovery.
Beijing Capital International Airport will no longer require proof of a negative Covid result for entry into its terminals, Reuters has reported, quoting Beijing News, a newspaper owned by the Chinese Communist Party.
There’s still something vital missing from the global tourism economy, and that’s the presence of Chinese tourists.
The Middle East’s almost year-long summer is its competitive advantage when attracting the European market. However, the region would do well to add more beachfront properties and curate experiences beyond its Uber-luxury eccentricities.
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